An Eclipse
by DreamonAlina
Summary: Fan girl Melody Waters is neck deep in trouble. Edward's proposed to her, her best friend Jacob suddenly hates her guts and she can't decide if she should apologize to him or punch him in the face, and Victoria's after her. And truth be told, she doesn't know if she should be more worried about Edward and Jacob or Victoria. When did being Bella Swan become so exhausting? Edward/OC.
1. Freedom and Choices

**Disclaimer:** I don't own New Moon, or anything Twilight related. I do own Melody Waters and any other characters I make up!

 **Author's Note:** I am so sorry it took so long to post this story! I'm also really sorry that I didn't do the Cullens watching New Moon, but right now I want to be as far away from New Moon as possible. I eventually WILL go back and write it and I'll let you all know.

It may take a while, but this series was the first to get me into fanfiction and I WILL finish it.

Anyways!

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

So here's the thing about Eclipses.

Nobody cared about them.

I mean sure, there were the nerdy astrologists who freaked out over MySpace over the fact that an eclipse was coming and another might not come for another however many years. Normal people usually sat in their houses and went about their lives as normal.

But me, I looked out for eclipses. No, not because I was one of those nerdy astrologists.

I was looking out in case it was time for a crazy redhead named Victoria to come kill me to get revenge for my boyfriend, Edward Cullen, killing her boyfriend.

That's right. Edward Cullen. From Twilight.

I could hardly believe it myself. I, Melody Jayne Waters, was now Isabella Marie Swan in the town of Forks. I don't really know what happened. I just crossed into the borders of Forks and BAM! Bella Swan activated.

I never complained before. I was a happy fangirl with Edward Cullen as my boyfriend.

But then, of course, the Twilight period passed and New Moon approached. And of course, Edward left me as he did Bella, and even though I promised myself I wouldn't, I became best friends with Jacob Black, who now hated me because the Cullens came back and I was now back together with Edward.

Oh yeah, who had also proposed to me.

My life couldn't be normal for one moment, could it?

* * *

 _Melody_

 _Bella_

 _Melody-This whole 'two names' thing is gonna drive me crazy_

 _ **Bella,**_

 _I don't want to say this is like second grade because that's what I say in the book, but seriously it's like second grade with the whole notes thing, and I'm pretty sure Erica's ready to burn the notes when I give them to her-_

 _You made the choice here, okay? You can't have it both ways when-damn it, wait, that's what I said in the books too-_

 _Damn that author for taking all the good lines!_

 _The whole 'mortal enemies thing' just-_

 _Oh forget it. I miss you too. A lot. Doesn't change anything. Sorry._

 _-Jake_

* * *

If this was his idea of a joke, it wasn't very funny. Okay, except for the part where he struggled to find the words to write down, that was pretty funny. It served him right, though, for making me act like a kid and talk through Erica. I would have talked through Uncle Charlie, but that would be taking it too far.

Erica was over at Embry's (Embry had seen her more than I had) and Aunt Erica was out with her friends celebrating her transition into official motherhood, since her other friends were already parents. Edward had already had his daily visit (though I'd still be seeing him later) so it was just Uncle Charlie and I for dinner, which meant that awful clumpy spaghetti. Maybe I could convince him to order in instead.

I dropped the note on to my desk as I shook my head. I knew the whole conditions of ungrounding me involved Jacob, but I didn't know if I wanted to hang out with him. Jacob Black infuriated me like no one else. And not in the good way, either. Sometimes I just wanted to rip his fur out and shove it down it throat and other times I wanted to cry and hold him and beg for his forgiveness, though why should _I_ have to beg?

I was brought out of my thoughts when I heard Uncle Charlie calling me down for dinner. I skipped down the stairs, trying not to groan at the thought of that gross spaghetti.

However, when I got down there, I was surprised with the smell of Chinese food, and there were take out containers on the dining table. "What, no spaghetti?" I asked cautiously as I walked in and sat down.

"No. I thought I'd make your favourite," Uncle Charlie said. "And since there's no way in hell I could possibly make this, I thought I'd just order it instead."

Great. The one thing that I knew I could count on was different. Now that the whole Eclipse thing was out of the bag, I told everyone what happened in Eclipse as opposed to letting them read it since it focused on Bella's relationship issues and I wouldn't put it past someone like Emmett to read parts I specifically tell him not to read.

"So," I started as I grabbed a plate. "Any particular reason you're trying to butter me up?"

"What, I can't buy my niece her favourite dinner?" Uncle Charlie asked. "Besides, with the baby coming, I want you to know that I'll love you just the same."

I almost corrected him and said "babies", but Uncle Charlie and Aunt Sarah weren't aware yet that they were having twins. The only reason I knew was because Edward heard two heartbeats instead of one. "I have two older siblings, Uncle Charlie. I've had this talk before. Now, the truth because I'm forced to really pry it out of you?"

He sighed. "It's about Jacob."

My fork froze halfway to my mouth. "What _about_ Jacob?"

"Don't get mad at me, okay?"

"Why would I get mad?"

"Because it's about Edward, too."

I groaned. "Uncle Charlie, if you're trying to gang up on me about Edward while Aunt Sarah is out, so help me-"

"I'm not! I let him in the house, don't I?" He asked.

I huffed. He had a point there. "So do you have a point to this or what?"

"So I'm thinking that maybe you deserve a parole for good behaviour. For a teenager, you're amazingly non-whiney."

"Why, thank you, I take pride in that," I told him. "So are you saying that I'm no longer punished? I'm free?"

"Conditionally," He said, holding up a finger.

Ugh, right. Stupid Jacob.

"This is more of a request than a demand. You're free, but I'm hoping that you'll use the freedom...judiciously."

Man, I was really behind on my Eclipse dialogue. "And that means...?"

"I don't want you to spend all of your free time with Edward," he said.

"Hey! I spend time with Alice and Erica too!" I defended. Erica lived in the house (part time-I swear she would spend the night at Embry's if Aunt Sarah and Uncle Charlie were okay with it) and Alice had no restriction whatsoever. Uncle Charlie absolutely adored Alice. "I speak to Angela and her boyfriend Eric too. I'm not a _total_ recluse, Uncle Charlie."

Uncle Charlie hesitated before he opened his mouth. "You and Jake used to be joined at the hip, and now-"

I made a face of disdain as soon as he mentioned Jacob's name, and I interrupted him. "Could we please move this along...?"

He rolled his eyes, but continued. "Use your new freedom to see your other friends, too. Keep it balanced."

"Can do, Uncle Charlie," I told him. "Do I have any restrictions on my freedom, too?"

He gave me a look. "Just don't forget your friends, particularly Jacob."

I made the same face as before. "The Jacob thing might be harder than you think, Uncle Charlie."

"Don't you miss him at all?" he asked.

"Unfortunately," I grumbled under my breath.

"Then what's hard about it?"

I huffed. I didn't want to tell Uncle Charlie the FULL truth for fear of the Volturi-he and Aunt Sarah were ready to finally start their own family and lives for real and I'd be damned if I let myself be the reason _another_ person was unhappy. "It's just complicated, okay? I can't include Jacob being my friend because he wants to be _more_ than friends."

"Isn't Edward up for a little healthy competition?" Uncle Charlie asked sarcastically.

I flinched at the thought. "Please don't even _joke_ about that."

"You're hurting his feelings, avoiding him like this. He'd rather be just friends than nothing."

Then you didn't know Jacob Black. And _I_ hurt Jake's feelings? What a load of crap! "Me and Jake no longer being Siamese twins is _not_ my fault-I'd be perfectly willing to speak to Jake if he was perfectly willing to speak to me. But since he isn't, I can't exactly control that. Where did you even get the idea that Jacob wanted to be friends again, anyways?"

Charlie looked sheepish. "The subject might have come up today with Billy..."

I rolled my eyes. "And you say Aunt Sarah and Fiona are bad gossipers."

"Billy's worried about Jacob," Charlie said. "Jake's having a hard time right now. He's depressed."

Well, when _I_ was worried about Jacob, I wasn't permitted to see him. Tough love, Billy. I was not your pawn to move around however you pleased. I mean, Stephenie Meyer did that enough.

"And then you were always so happy after spending the day with Jake."

"Who's to say I'm not happy right now?" I retorted.

Uncle Charlie gave me a look, and I sighed in defeat. "Okay, fine. Balance."

"And Jacob."

"No promises."

"I'll have to live with that," He agreed as he got up and took his plate to the sink. "Oh, you've got some mail. It's by the stove."

He practically chucked the letter at me, and I rolled my eyes when I saw that it was opened. "You opened it already? I'm shocked."

He shrugged as I pulled out my acceptance letter to the University of Alaska Southeast. I still thought it was a good idea to apply to Alaska in case my transition didn't go as well as Bella's and I'd have to end up staying in Alaska to learn control.

"Congrats, your first acceptance," He said.

"Thanks, Uncle Charlie."

"We should talk about tuition," he said as he switched on the coffee maker. "Your Aunt Sarah and I talked with your parents, and they said that they'd pay some, but we insisted on paying a little too-"

"Don't even think about it, Uncle Charlie," I interrupted. "Soon you'll have tw- _one_ kid of your own to save up college for. I know that that's still eighteen years away, but college fees could change by then. Besides, you've already paid for me basically freeloading off of you and Aunt Sarah since we moved here. _And_ you let my best friend live here rent free."

He nodded, and not so subtly asked, "Where's Edward going to for college?"

"I don't know yet," I answered. "We talked, but even I don't know where I'm going yet."

Thankfully, the knocking on the door saved me, and I ignored Uncle Charlie's "go away" as I sped to the door and opened it, revealing my no-so-perfect-I've-learned vampire on the other side.

He might not _be_ perfect, but he still looked it, which was annoying. I gestured at him. "Stay right here," I told him, before I turned around and ran to Uncle Charlie. "Uncle Charlie, do you mind if we go out for a while? I'll be back before ten, I promise."

He looked like he was going to argue, so I said, "Who just got ungrounded?" and cupped my ear, waiting for his answer.

He grumbled. "Fine, fine. But make sure you're back before ten."

"I wouldn't dream of it," I assured him as I ran upstairs, grabbed my Eclipse book off of my shelf, tossed it into my backpack, and barreled back down the stairs to the front door. "Bye, Uncle Charlie!" I called out behind me as I shut the door.

"What's all this?" He asked as I grabbed his hand and led us to his car.

"I have been officially ungrounded," I told him. "Just like Bella in the books, which shouldn't be too much of a surprise."

"Okay, I get that, but where are we going?" He asked as I got into his car.

"Our meadow."

* * *

" _He pulled my wrist up to his face, our hands still twisted together_ ," I read as Edward pressed kisses to my head. We were in our meadow, surrounded by the flowers and tall grass. It was sunny for once, and the sun setting made it the perfect romantic location. When Edward was gone, I never came to the meadow, except for that one time with Laurent, but now that he was back, I looked for every opportunity to come here. I didn't want to read poetry, so I grabbed Eclipse to read instead. " _His eyes closed as his nose skimmed along the skin there, and he smiled gently without opening them. Enjoying the bouquet while resisting the wine, as he'd once put it._ " I looked up from the book and over to Edward, who moved from kissing my hair to kissing my cheeks. I lowered the book. "You're quite poetic, if you think about it."

"You mean Stephenie Meyer is poetic," He corrected as he kissed my cheek. "Marry me," he said, suddenly turning the conversation around.

The question made my stomach turn, but I made sure to equip myself with ways to defend myself. "Ask me tomorrow."

"But I'm asking you today," He retorted. "Marry me."

"Ask me tomorrow."

"But I'm asking you _today_."

"We both know that I'm a procrastinator."

" _Speaking_ of procrastination-have you filled out those college applications I gave you?"

Uhhh... "So marriage..."

"Don't change the topic," He said. "There are still a few open deadlines. And a few places willing to make exceptions."

"You mean there are a few places that Carlisle is willing to make a generous donation to?"

"Nuances, nuances."

"And where exactly are _you_ planning on attending, Mr. Cullen?"

"Don't you already know where I've been accepted?"

"Well, yeah, but it's still polite to ask," I told him. "Why do you think I let so much stuff that I already know pass me by? Like Carlisle's history with the Volturi? Or about how you got turned?"

"Alright, alright," he relented. "Syracuse, Harvard, Dartmouth, and I just got accepted into the University of Alaska Southeast today."

"What a crazy coincidence," I said. "So did I. And Harvard? Dartmouth?" I shook my head. "Once you said those names to Uncle Charlie, he'd be treating you like a son in no time."

"I certainly hope so, once we get married, I'll be his nephew-in-law, and I'd rather him like me than want to kill me."

"Who even said we were getting married?" I held my hand up to him. "Do you see a ring on this finger?"

"No, but I can fix that for you."

I groaned, putting my hand back in my lap. That was a stupid decision. "What is it with you and the marriage thing?"

"What is it with you and wanting me to change you myself?"

"I love you. I would be fine if Carlisle did it, but I would rather the main reason why I want to do this do the deed himself."

"And I would rather I be married to this girl before I damned her soul for eternity. At least then we'll be guaranteed to be together so I can spend eternity apologizing to her."

I gave him a look. "You know, sometimes I wish you'd go along with the book."

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Then I guess you won't mind me not applying to college, since that's what Bella does in the book," I said, crossing my arms. "You and I both know I won't be in any position to be around other people. Besides, I'll have all the time in the world for college."

"There are a lot of human experiences you've never had," He pointed out.

"I'll get to those."

"There won't be human experiences afterward. You don't get a second chance at humanity, Bella." He smirked. "There, I went along with the book. Are you happy?"

I punched him in the arm, but lightly, since I probably would have broken my fingers if I really tried. "Not in the slightest."

"Bella, I _really_ want you to think about what you're giving up for me," he said seriously. "Your family. Your friends. _Humanity_."

"Erica's my closest friend, and she already knows all about this stuff, and she has Embry to protect her if anything. For family, I'll have the Cullens, since I'll be a part of your coven. As for humanity," I waved him off. "Humanity is overrated."

" _Vampirism_ is overrated. Just read those 'I Hate Twilight' forums."

"Ew, you actually _go on_ those?"

"What else is there to do when you're sleeping?"

"Think about how to get on Uncle Charlie's good side."

"Speaking of your Uncle, has he mentioned Seattle?" He asked. I swear, Edward was just as dedicated to keeping things to the plot as I was.

"No, he didn't get the chance," I said as I picked at the grass. "I'm sure Aunt Sarah knows, but I'll get him to bring it up somehow anyways. Have you guys been keeping an eye out?"

Edward nodded. "We've been monitoring the situation for a few weeks. All the signs are there-the unlikely disappearances, always in the night, the poorly disposed-of corpses, the lack of other evidence...Yes, someone brand new. And no one seems to be taking responsibility for the neophyte."

"It's not like Victoria cares," I muttered, rubbing my hands over my arms.

"Hey," I heard, and I looked over to see Edward putting his hands on my arms. "You're absolutely safe. You know how this ends, remember? All the major events of the books that have happened so far have happened accordingly, so there's no reason why this shouldn't happen. Okay?"

I nodded. "You're right. I hate saying that, you know."

"I know," he said, and he leaned over and pressed a kiss to my mouth. I smiled into the kiss, but didn't let myself get too carried away as I pulled away from him. "Only a few more weeks till graduation."

"Are you sure you won't wait?"

I shook my head. "No. I'm sorry. I know you want me too, but if we're gonna keep things in flow with the story, I'm changing at the right time."

"That doesn't make sense, though," Edward mused. "Why would Stephenie Meyer end the series right after Edward and Bella get engaged?"

Gulp. "It's called leaving it up to the imagination, Edward." I hated lying to him, but I was _still_ going to keep Breaking Dawn under my belt for as long as possible. I took a deep breath. "Besides, I'll learn control in Antarctica."

"Lovely. I love penguins," He said sarcastically.

"I do too. But grizzly bears sound like a challenge."

"They are. Not as much as wolves, though."

I couldn't help the anger that boiled. As much as I hated Jacob now, I still had the memories of pre-wolf Jake, and I loved pre-wolf Jake. I pushed his arm. "That's not funny. You didn't have to make that joke."

"I know, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have suggested that."

"No, you shouldn't have," I agreed. "But I really do need to see Jacob."

"You know I was against that in the books."

"It doesn't mean you have to be against it now."

"Unfortunately, Book Edward and I agree on this," He said. "I'm sorry. I know how much you care for him, but it would start a war."

"It wouldn't _have_ to, if you just let me go by myself. I've slapped a werewolf before, I'll be fine. Besides, I have Erica. She's always with Embry down there, and if she told Embry to back off, he'd listen. He's so whipped it's ridiculous."

"Werewolves are unstable. Sometimes the people near them get hurt. Sometimes, they get killed."

I was half tempted to throw Jasper into his face, but that would be unfair. "I'm aware of what happened with Emily Young, but you don't know them like I do. And yeah, I'm aware of the whole 'crossing paths with them' backstory, so please spare me that. Even knowing all that, I don't care. Besides, you know Jacob was one of Charlie's conditions." I leaned my head on his shoulder, admiring the way his skin sparkled in the light from the sun. "Whether you like it or not Edward, Jacob saved my life. On multiple occasions. And whether you like it or not, you can't dictate who I can and can't see."

He huffed. "I'm not okay with it."

"You're just going to have to live with that. I blame myself for Jacob turning into a werewolf-if I had just left him alone, or better yet, steered him away from all this supernatural nonsense, he might still be old Jacob. And old Jacob was my friend. If there's any shred of him left, I have to help him. Besides, if anything, I need him to get over his stupid feelings for me."

He sighed but leaned his head on mine. "Do you know how much I love you?"

Distraction tactic. I'd allow it. "Not as much as I love you." I surprised him by jumping on top of him, pushing him down to the ground and kissing him.

He responded to it, before pulling back. "Not possible."

I smirked. "I'm just gonna have to show you, then."

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **I like it so far!**

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	2. Home and Hopes

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Eclipse, or anything Twilight related. I do own Melody Waters and any other characters I make up!

 **Author's Note:** I am a terrible person. That is all.

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The next day was a school day, and I was eagerly counting them down. I knew I wasn't really going to turn into a vampire after graduation, but that wasn't the reason I was looking forward to grad. Grad meant the _end of high school_! The last four years of my life had been a whirlwind (especially the last two, for obviously reasons) that I was ready to leave the world of high school behind. I had no idea how the Cullens did high school over and over again.

Erica was texting Embry under the lunch table, and we were all making idle small talk about Jess's valedictorian speech (the position was offered to me, but I didn't think I was the best person to tell you what to do with your future) when Alice suddenly announced that she was throwing a graduation party. Even if it _wasn't_ a part of the book, Alice told me she would have thrown a party anyways.

Alice, knowing everything that went down with the immortal army and Victoria, was keeping her eye out for when she would strike. We were planning out everything, and since we knew everything, hopefully nothing would go wrong.

Edward had picked me up that morning, so he had to drive me home. Uncle Charlie was still at work, and Aunt Sarah was baby shopping.

I let us into the house, and Edward shut the door behind us. I dropped my bag on the table on my way to the kitchen. "Are you hungry?" I joked, looking over my shoulder at Edward as I opened the fridge. It earned me a mocking smile, but I grinned up at him as I took out bologna and bread. I put the sandwich together and nodded up at the stairs as we made it to my room.

Edward took a spot on the bed, and I sat down on my computer chair. I crammed half of the sandwich into my mouth as I turned my phone on. School was getting really strict with phones, and if you were caught with your phone out, it would be confiscated. My voicemail revealed a missed call from my mother.

"Where's Erica?" Edward asked.

"Probably at La Push," I said around my sandwich. " _Her_ boyfriend doesn't have any opposition to visitng La Push."

Edward pointed my teddy bear at me. "That's because her boyfriend is a dog."

I scoffed. "Don't let Erica hear you say that. Even if you're a vampire, she'll tear your throat out," I swallowed my bite, putting the phone up to my hear and listening to the message. She was just asking about how life was going and to give her a call when I could.

Edward, overhearing my mother's voice, asked, "Do you still have those plane tickets?"

I nodded, finishing my sandwich and putting the plate on my desk. "Yeah. I'm not an idiot."

"Did you still want to use them?" Edward asked.

"Well, considering the last time I went back home, I went by car, and I was being pursued by a crazy vampire, I'd much rather go by plane," I said as I got up and sat down next to him. Well, actually, I laid down, and to my delight, Edward laid down next to me. "Plus, you and I both know Victoria's gonna show up this weekend and that if I didn't go willingly, you would force me."

Edward nodded thoughtfully. "That is true. But if we went this weekend, you'd miss your senior prom."

I shrugged. "Senior prom isn't that important. I've already been to the junior prom, and it's essentially the same thing. You go to one prom, you've been to them all right?"

Edward shrugged this time. "I suppose so. I really do want to get you out of town, though, especially with Victoria coming."

"As long as you remind Emmett not to jump to the werewolf territory, he and Paul won't get into a fight, and everything will be fine," I said with a firm nod.

"Right," Edward said.

I smiled. "I love when you say that." I turned my head and pressed a kiss to his cool lips. To my happiness, he responded to it rather enthusiastically, to the point where I had to pull back for air. "Whoa," I breathed without thinking, and I winced when I realized I had said that out loud.

Edward just chuckled before proceeding to kiss me again. I deepened the kiss, and I had just thrown myself on top of him when he suddenly pushed me off. I laid on my back and stared at the ceiling as I inwardly groaned, getting pissed that I had let myself go overboard, but he said, "Sarah's home. She just pulled into the driveway."

I turned my head to look at him. "To be continued?"

Edward just smirked before sitting up. "We should go sit downstairs. Sarah's more lenient when it comes to me, but Charlie should be home soon."

Wanting to continue what we started but knowing that he was right, I took Edward's outstretched hand and grabbed my backpack. We went down to the dining room and laid our homework out on the table.

Edward, of course, had finished his own, and he was helping me with my Calculus when I brought up visiting Salt Lake to Aunt Sarah. Better to ask Aunt Sarah while Uncle Charlie wasn't home and letting my aunt deal with the fall out. Uncle Charlie could never stay too mad at Aunt Sarah for long these days since she was carrying his twins. Alice said that in a couple of days they'd be finding out that it was twins, identical girls.

Anyways, Aunt Sarah said that visiting my parents sounded like a great idea. When I mentioned that I would be taking Edward with me, she was a little apprehensive, but when I told her that Edward was going to be in my life and that they would have to just accept it, she had no problem with it. Especially since I was just going to my parents' house. It wasn't like Edward and I were stupid enough to try anything right under their noses.

She also promised to reign in Uncle Charlie, which was exactly what she did when he returned home half an hour later. She took him up to their bedroom, and after about ten minutes of muffled yelling (though Edward translated that Uncle Charlie was not happy about it but Aunt Sarah countered that I wasn't technically their child-plus I was eighteen-so I could make my own decisions) they came back downstairs, Aunt Sarah in a chipper mood since she won and Uncle Charlie glaring daggers at Edward.

Edward took that as a sign to go home, though he'd be coming up to my room after Aunt Sarah and Uncle Charlie fell asleep. I kissed him goodbye and waited until he was gone to ask my guardians if I could go see Jacob. Aunt Sarah was reluctant, since it was a school night, but Uncle Charlie practically pushed me out the door. He also mentioned that the Black's were having a party that weekend, and if I wanted to ditch visiting my parents and go to the party instead, I was more than welcome.

Erica came home at that very moment, and when she saw me stepping out the door, she nodded in understanding. "Jacob?"

I nodded. "Sorry for leaving you hanging. I know I have you to talk to and all, but I have to make things right with Jake. I owe that much to him."

She sighed. "I really hope you know what you're doing."

"I do!" I insisted, but even I knew that was lame. "I'm in love with Edward, but Jacob was there for me in a way no one else was. And I'll sort all of this, I swear."

Erica held up her hands. "Hey, far be it from me to get in the way of a love triangle," she said as she made her way to the house.

"I'm not in a love triangle!" I called out helplessly to her, but she didn't respond as she shut the door behind her. Groaning, I turned to the driveway and made my way to my truck.

I told the Cullens all the key things about Eclipse, but I left this scene out purposefully, hoping that I could get away with it. However, when I got into my truck and turned the keys, the engine just clicked.

"Shit!" I cursed as I leaned back in my seat, and I immediately looked to the right of me when I heard a noise. I groaned when I recognized Edward holding a piece of my truck's engine, and I looked back ahead. "Alice?"

Edward nodded. "She got nervous when your future rather abruptly disappeared five minutes ago."

I growled. "God, can't _anything_ be original?" I muttered to myself. "I know, I know, Alice can't see the wolves, so she couldn't see me."

Edward sighed. "Your safety is everything to me, Bella."

I slammed my hands on the wheel. "I know! I know. But I'm my own person, Edward. I can make my own decisions and I know things. Jacob's not gonna hurt me. He frustrates me to no end and makes me want to tear my own hair out, but he wouldn't hurt me."

Edward sighed again, and I knew I had lost. "I'm sorry."

I didn't look at him as I took the keys out of the ignition and slammed the door shut. I still didn't look back at him as I stomped up the steps and walked in, also slamming the front door shut.

"What's wrong?" Uncle Charlie asked from his spot on the couch.

"My car won't start," I told him. "Don't bother trying to fix it, I'm just going to do some reading then go to bed," I said as I bounded up the stairs.

Walking into my bedroom, I shut the window tightly and locked it. Just for good measure, I wrote "GO HOME" on a piece of paper and stuck it on the window before shutting my curtains. I may love Edward, but I didn't love him enough not to be mad at him.

* * *

The weekend was over in a flash. Seriously, I blinked, and I was back at the airport in Port Angeles.

Edward carried both our bags back to the car, and I sat in the passenger's seat as he took the driver's. I leaned my head against the headrest as my mind flashed back to the weekend.

* * *

Edward and I were welcomed with open arms back home in my native Salt Lake City, and while I knew my Dad wanted to put Edward in a hotel, my mother would have none of it. Edward instead stayed in the guest room.

Thankfully, the weather was fairly cloudy and not that sunny, which was a surprise for Salt Lake in the summer. We went out to dinner and then a movie with my parents on Friday when we got there. Saturday morning was spent at my grandmother's house, since my grandma wanted to meet "the man that had stolen her Melly's heart". Not surprisingly, Edward didn't slip up once and call me Bella. I, however, nearly called him Edward three times, but I always managed to make a save and call him Eli.

Saturday afternoon, Dad took Edward and Jack out for "guy time" (God only knows what that meant), which left Mom and me. Mom and I loved baking, so we decided to go all out. We made cupcakes from scratch with Grandma Jenn's recipe.

It was when I was stirring the batter for our second batch that Mom said, "Mels?"

I looked up to see her checking on the cupcakes that were in the oven, but she was also looking at me.

"Something wrong, Mom?" I asked.

Mom sighed. "I'm worried."

Uh-oh. Mom was starting with Renee's line. This couldn't be good. "About what?"

"You and Eli," she answered, and I nearly snapped my whisk in half, though I wasn't entirely sure how you were supposed to snap a whisk. "You two are more serious than I'd been thinking."

"How so?" I wondered. I'd been so careful about not touching Edward. We were never allowed in the same room alone unless it was the living room or unless the door to the room was open. I seriously hope Mom wasn't about to give me the sex talk, because she had already done so when I was younger and I was sure it'd be just as mortifying.

"There's something...strange about the way you two are together," she started. "The way he watches you...it's so protective. Like he's about to throw himself in front of a bus to save you."

"And that's a bad thing?" I asked, adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.

Mom sighed. "No. It's just...kinda weird. Different. He's very intense when it comes to you. It's like there's something about the relationship that you're not telling me..."

"I'm not pregnant, if that's what you're thinking," I said quickly, but Mom shook her head.

"No, I think I'd know if you two had had sex," Mom mused. "The first time Amy and Matt had sex, the two of them couldn't take their eyes off of each other."

"Mom, I don't want to talk about my sister's sex life," I insisted. "Besides, I'm sure you're just imagining things," I went along with the book's dialogue.

"It's not just him," she insisted. "When he moves, you move, when you move, he moves. It's just an instinct-you two do it without even realizing it."

I set the bowl down. "Mom, have you been watching soap operas again?"

Mom waved her hand at me. "Hello? Don't change the subject! I know my daughter-I carried you in my stomach _and_ gave birth to you. It's impossible for you to hide something from me. So before I physically hold you down and shine a light in your eye, tell me."

I clutched the whisk in my hand until my knuckles turned white. I kept trying to divert the conversation but Mom wasn't having it. Mom's were just naturally observant, but because Stephenie Meyer made Renee observant, my Mom was more so.

"I love him, Mom," I tried again. "That's it."

Mom sighed. "Honey, are you in some kind of trouble? I know Eli seems like a sweet boy, but is he...you know...bad to you?"

My heart nearly stopped in my chest. " _Mom_!" I said, mortified. "Eli doesn't hit me, if that's what you're thinking."

"Okay, then what is it?" Mom pressed. "It's like since you moved to Forks, you don't talk to me anymore. And now you're calling and saying things like you want to attend college in Alaska? What happened to attending school here? When we made the agreement for you to move to Forks, you promised that you'd come home for college. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't forcefully move your stuff back here after you graduate, and you can't list Eli as a reason."

Holy crap, Mom was pulling out the big guns. The thing was, when I made that promise, I had no idea that Edward Cullen was real and that the entire state of Washington just wasn't aware that Twilight was a thing. I also had no idea that I'd _meet_ Edward Cullen, let alone fall in love with him.

But I also couldn't tell my Mom the reason why I wanted to attend college in Alaska without telling her that Twilight was real.

But...what was so bad about that? This was quite possibly the last time my mother would see me as a human in my own home (she'd obviously come back for grad and the wedding, but the next time I stepped foot in this house, I would most likely be a vampire), didn't she deserve to know the truth about what was happening to her daughter?

The words were out of my mouth before I could give it another thought, "Mom, do you really want the truth?"

The oven dinged, and she took out the cupcakes. "Yes."

I took in a deep breath. "Okay, but please, keep an open mind." I grabbed one of the cupcakes and began smothering it in icing. If I was going to tell her everything, she was going to need some sort of comfort food. "I should have told you this before I even went to Forks. Or once I got there. Either way, whatever I'm about to tell you, you cannot tell another living soul. I'll explain why, but for your safety and the safety of the people we love, you can't say a word."

And I launched into the story.

* * *

All things considered, Mom took it pretty well.

I mean, she was as confused as I was when I told her that Twilight was real and that my boyfriend's name was _not_ Eli, but rather Edward, but she took it well. She was rather concerned when I told her that I had been bitten, but was relieved when I told her that Edward had saved me.

I also told her the real reason that Edward and I had broken up last fall, and to my horror, she _took Edward's side_.

Before I completely blew up at my mother and got myself kicked out of my house, I asked her for advice about Jacob.

She hadn't read the books, but she did know how to give advice on guys. "It's clear how much you and Edward love each other, so you need to tell Jacob that." I was happy with her answer, but then she went on. "Just don't hurt him. He took care of you when Edward didn't, and he deserves more than that."

I couldn't believe it: my mother was a wolf girl.

I told her about the Volturi, and why she couldn't tell anybody that she knew. She had to pretend that she thought that the Cullens were human, in case Aro found out that she knew about vampires. Even though I had condemned myself (willingly), I refused to condemn my Mom.

She was pretty heartbroken when I told her that I couldn't see her for a while after graduation, because of the whole "vampire" thing. Again, if everything went on as it normally did, Breaking Dawn would happen and I would be fine, but I had to keep up pretenses.

After we were done, we had eaten a lot of the cupcakes in our conversation. We moved into the living room, where Mom sat on the couch and I laid down, my head in her lap. She played with my hair as she asked me questions about the Cullens, the wolves, the Volturi. I was a little scared to tell her, but Mom was a great secret keeper.

When Dad, Edward, and Jack came home, they found me and Mom passed out on the couch.

I felt a pair of cool fingers on my cheek, and I snapped my eyes open. I hadn't slept much last night, and I didn't sleep much on the plane, so I wasn't all that surprised that I had passed out. "We're home," Edward said, and I looked out the windshield to see that we were, in fact, in the driveway.

Edward grabbed my things from the trunk, and we went inside. Aunt Sarah welcomed me back with open arms, as did Erica and Uncle Charlie. Uncle Charlie, however, looked really excited, and I knew why.

Edward offered to carry my stuff to my room, so Erica pulled me into the kitchen so that we could talk privately. "Embry says that all Jake's been thinking about is if you're a human." She peered at my still brown eyes. "I guess that answers that question."

I rolled my eyes. "Jacob can be such a dumbass sometimes." I crossed my arms over my shoulder. "Since Jacob won't take any of my calls, please tell him that yes, I am a still a human."

Erica sighed. "Look, you know that I'm a Jacob sympathizer, more so now because my boyfriend is like a brother to him, so please understand that I'm coming from a biased point of view when I tell you to call him and tell him yourself. I mean, he's been calling and calling, too. I always answer the phone before Mr. or Mrs. Swan could, and I always say, 'I don't know, Jacob, I'm not in Salt Lake City', but I think he gets more and more worried each time you don't answer the phone."

I wanted to argue, but I sighed instead. "Fine, I'll call him." Just as I said that, the phone rang.

Edward walked into the room, and before he could answer it, I grabbed the phone and gave him a smug look as I answered, "Hello?"

"You're home," Jacob said.

I hadn't heard Jake's voice since that awful day in the woods. He said those words so casually, so like old Jacob that my mind was taken back to the time where the two of us were thick as thieves. The two of us sitting in his garage, chilling in his room, taking a walk along the beach. "Yeah, I am," was the only thing I could really say, since I was refraining from bursting into tears over how sorry I was about everything that had happened.

"Why didn't you call me?" He demanded.

"For the record, for the past couple of weeks, I _have_ been calling you, but you haven't been answering," I started, and I was pleased with the silence on the other end as Jacob realized that I was right. "I just got home, man. Erica just told me to call you."

"Oh. Sorry."

More book dialogue. Great. "Yeah, sure. By the way, why are you annoying my bestie?"

"I need to talk you," He said, and I purposefully ignored the growl that appeared on Edward's face.

"I kind of figured that out when you called," I said. "I'm all ears."

A short pause. "Are you going to school tomorrow?"

"Yes, and don't you dare try to show up," I warned him. "I know you're just checking to see if I was a bloodsucking leech yet, but trust me, I'm still a full fledged human."

Edward clearly didn't expect me to see that, because he suddenly burst into a fit of laughter. I had to step a bit away so I could hear Jacob over Edward's laughter.

"I have to go," Jacob suddenly said. "I'll call you later."

"Jake-" I tried (maybe the leech comment wasn't the right way to go...) but all I got was the dial tone. I growled as I slammed the phone on the counter. "I really need to work on being more sensitive."

I looked over to see Edward still doubled over in hysterics. "Jeez, Edward, it wasn't _that_ funny. I've certainly had better lines before."

Edward finally stopped laughing as he said, "No, it was perfect. Bella Swan would never have said that, but I'm glad Melody Waters exists so that she could."

* * *

Edward drove us to school the next day and parked in his usual spot. Erica got out first, knowing that the little Edward/Jacob showdown would occur, and she thought I deserved my privacy. Well, as much privacy as I could get.

Edward and I stayed in the car for a little while longer. "You know my visit back home changes nothing, right?" I said.

He sighed. "Yes, unfortunately. I don't have to read your mind in order to realize that." His expression suddenly changed, and he looked over at me. "There's no way you'd stay in the car if I asked, right?"

I leaned forward as I caught sight of Jacob. He towered over the rest of the students of Forks High School, leaning against his black motorcycle, just like the book said he would.

I groaned. "I _told_ him not to come to school. Yeah, I know it's a safe place with witnesses to talk to you, but he _could_ be a normal person." I looked over at Edward. "As for your question, there isn't." I opened the door and hopped out before Edward could stop me.

I stomped over to where Jacob was standing, Edward hot on my heels. I came to stop in front of the werewolf and put my hands on my hips. Edward tried to pull me away from Jacob and behind him, but I stood my ground and stared him down.

Edward gave up as he said in his steel-hard voice, "You could have called, you know."

"Sorry," Jacob answered with a sneer. "I don't have any leeches on my speed dial."

 _Ugh_ , I _knew_ I should have cut that part out of the book and given it to him to tell him what _not_ to say. "Jacob, there's no reason for you to be here. Paul and Emmett didn't get into that fight because I had specifically told them _not_ to, so-"

Jacob cut me off by looking over at Edward. "You didn't tell her the truth, did you?"

I looked over at Edward. "What truth?"

Edward sighed. "It's not that simple-"

"Of course it is," Jacob snorted. "The red-head jumped from our land to theirs so fast and so often that his big brother crashed into Paul. They fought anyways."

I guess there was just no changing some things. "Okay, first of all, Edward, you should have told me," I said to my boyfriend, who had the decency to look ashamed. I turned on Jacob. "And Jacob, you know better than to make a scene. If you wanted to tell me, you should have told me last night. You know, after I left about a billion messages on your phone. Why didn't you call me back?"

Jacob's face was stony. "I didn't have anything to say." With that, he turned around to go back to his motorcycle, that the brat wouldn't even _have_ if it wasn't for me.

Perfect. Not only did they unknowingly go along with the book, they somehow unknowingly went along with the movie. That particular line was from one of the clips they released to hype it up.

It gave me a great idea, though.

"I have a lot to say," I said, running after Jacob.

Edward grabbed a hold of my arm and pulled me back. "Bella," he started.

I tried my best to ignoring his begging eyes. "Edward, I know you trust me and you don't trust him, but please. I have to make things right while I still can."

Jacob didn't know the double meaning behind my words, thankfully. I knew I'd have to break it to him sooner or later, and I decided that sooner was a better idea. Edward, however, _did_ know what I meant, and his eyes softened slightly.

Taking advantage of this, I gave Edward my pleading gaze as I stepped on my tip toes and gave him a quick kiss. "If you don't cover for me, I'll text Erica and she will, so don't you dare try to get me into trouble."

With that, I turned around, throwing, "I love you!" over my shoulder as I got to Jacob's motorcycle. With a smug smirk on his face, Jake handed me a helmet. I slipped it on, ignoring the look on Edward's face as I hopped on the motorcycle. "Don't think this means you won. I'm mad at the both of you."

Jacob just shook his head. "Sure, sure," he said, revving the motorcycle. "Just hold on tight."

Once he was sure my arms were securely around his waist, Jacob took off.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **until the next update! I'll try my best so that the wait isn't as long!**

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